Islanders Sign Jean-Gabriel Pageau To Three-Year Extension
The New York Islanders have continued their busy day. According to a team announcement, the Islanders have signed center Jean-Gabriel Pageau to a three-year extension. Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News reported that Pageau will earn a $4.85MM salary on the extension. PuckPedia later added that he’ll have a full no-trade clause in the first two years of his deal, which will convert to a 16-team no-trade clause in the final year.
At the beginning of the season, few would have expected Pageau to re-up in Long Island. Playing out the last season of a six-year, $30MM contract, Pageau was believed to be an early trade candidate considering that the Islanders were largely viewed as a rebuilding club.
Instead, the team caught fire under a new front office regime and the emergence of standout defenseman Matthew Schaefer. Poised for a postseason spot, New York will come out of deadline day with Ondřej Palát, Brayden Schenn, and a new contract for Pageau.
Factoring in the acquisition of Schenn, many believed he would become the heir-apparent to Pageau down the middle of the ice for the Islanders. Now, the team will have formidable center depth for the next three years, and that’s without including youngster Calum Ritchie.
Although he didn’t become the second-line center the Islanders were hoping he would become, Pageau has remained extremely consistent. Over the last five years, Pageau has scored 70 goals and 183 points in 363 games, typically netting between 35 and 40 points. Additionally, he’s one of the best faceoff takers in the NHL, averaging a 57.2% success rate in the dot over that stretch.
The only drawback from the Islanders’ perspective is that this extension will take Pageau through his age-36 season. There’s a good chance that Pageau’s offensive capabilities will have dropped off by then, and a $4.85MM cap hit is a chunky price for a center that may be isolated to a fourth-line role by then.
Regardless, it’s clear that New York was intent on rewarding their players at the deadline. There’s a strong rejuvenation happening in the organization right now, and it’s clear the front office wants to keep the core together for the next few seasons.
Photo courtesy of Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images.
Blackhawks Acquire Derrick Pouliot
Speaking on Daily Faceoff Live, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports that the Chicago Blackhawks are acquiring defenseman Derrick Pouliot from the New York Rangers. Pouliot has spent the entire 2025-26 campaign with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. Scott Power of The Athletic reported that forward Aidan Thompson will head to New York.
Pouliot is nearly exclusively an AHL talent at this point in his career. Since the 2019-20 season, Pouliot has tallied six assists in 26 NHL contests, averaging 14:45 of ice time split between the St. Louis Blues, Vegas Golden Knights, Seattle Kraken, San Jose Sharks, and Dallas Stars.
Still, he’s been a stable top-four presence in the AHL throughout that stretch. Since joining the Stars organization ahead of the 2023-24 campaign, Pouliot has registered 18 goals and 127 points in 186 games.
Despite being a rebuilding club for the last several years, the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs don’t have that kind of stability on the blue line. Prospect Kevin Korchinski is the team’s leading scorer among defensemen with two goals and 23 points in 45 games. Pouliot will immediately become the team’s offensive leader on the blue line, despite playing in seven more games than Korchinski.
Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that Pouliot will enjoy a trip through the Calder Cup playoffs with the IceHogs. The team is on the outside looking in with a 19-31-2-2 record. They’re currently ranked sixth in the AHL’s Central Division. They would have to find their way into the top five of the division to qualify for the postseason.
Meanwhile, shortly before the trade was made official, the Blackhawks recalled Thompson from the AHL, so he’ll presumably join the Rangers’ NHL roster. He is in his first full professional season, scoring six goals and 15 points in 40 games.
Still, he’s not that far removed from being a standout forward for the University of Denver. From 2022 to 2025, Thompson scored 42 goals and 117 points in 120 games for the Pioneers. He was drafted with the 90th overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft, making this a quality return for the Rangers.
Penguins Acquire Elmer Soderblom
According to a team announcement, the Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired forward Elmer Söderblom from the Detroit Red Wings for San Jose’s 2026 third-round pick. The Red Wings have also confirmed the trade.
The writing was on the wall for Söderblom’s tenure in Detroit. Once viewed as a potential long-term fixture in Detroit’s bottom-six, Söderblom has been a frequent healthy scratch by the team this season. Due to the team’s abundance of prospects, he was overlooked on the long-term depth chart.
Still, the Penguins are taking a chance. He doesn’t have the highest offensive upside, but he has tremendous size. Throughout the past three years, Söderblom has scored 18 goals and 46 points in 99 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins, and six goals and 14 points in 65 games with the Red Wings.
Standing at 6’8″ tall, Söderblom will immediately become the biggest player on the Penguins’ roster, standing a few inches taller than Justin Brazeau. Unfortunately, although he has quality hands for someone of his stature, Söderblom doesn’t engage physically as much as he should. He’s amassed 128 hits over his brief NHL career, but the Penguins will likely hope he can increase those numbers to be of more value to the club.
Regardless, he’s only 24 years old and is a reasonable fit on a retooling Pittsburgh team. Despite eyeing an unexpected postseason berth this season, the Penguins were known to be targeting depth pieces with some upside. Given his age and relative skill for his size, acquiring Söderblom for a third-round pick was likely a no-brainer from Pittsburgh’s perspective.
Florida Panthers Claim Cole Reinhardt
The Vegas Golden Knights will lose one of their bottom-six forwards. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Florida Panthers have claimed Cole Reinhardt off waivers from Vegas.
Reinhardt, 26, will join the third organization of his career. The Calgary, AB native was selected 181st in the 2020 NHL Draft by the Ottawa Senators, and spent five years playing in the organization before joining the Golden Knights last summer.
Throughout his days in the Senators organization, Reinhardt was mostly an AHL talent. Across his five years with the AHL’s Belleville Senators, Reinhardt scored 54 goals and 131 points in 270 games with 275 PIMs.
Unfortunately, his role as a secondary scorer in the AHL hasn’t translated to the NHL level. He’s played 44 games for Vegas this season, scoring three goals and seven points in 44 games. Across his career, he has registered four goals and nine points in 62 games.
Still, he has remained a physical force. In his 62 career contests, Reinhardt has tallied 123 hits. Since he’s still on the younger side, and can immediately join the Panthers’ bottom-six. Florida is expected to move a few depth pieces ahead of today’s deadline, and Reinhardt will be a stopgap for the time being. He is signed through next season at a $813K cap hit, but will be owed $850K in actual salary.
Tampa Bay Lightning Acquire Corey Perry
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Tampa Bay Lightning are acquiring veteran forward Corey Perry from the Los Angeles Kings. The trade comes a day after Frank Seravalli of Victory+ reported that Perry had made his intention known to Los Angeles that he would be interested in remaining with the organization. Both organizations have confirmed the deal.
Seravalli shared that the Kings would receive a second-round pick from the Bolts in exchange for Perry’s services. Later, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun confirmed it was Tampa Bay’s 2028 second-round pick headed back to Los Angeles.
Last offseason, Perry signed a one-year, $2MM contract with the Kings, with performance bonuses. According to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, Los Angeles recently paid Perry $250K for reaching the 50-game mark. For the remainder of the year, the Bolts will be on the hook for a $125K payment for a Round One win, a $250K for a semi-finals win, and a $125K for a Conference Final win. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period added an interesting twist to his bonus structure, sharing that the Kings are retaining 50% of his salary, which would apply to his bonuses.
It’s a return to Tampa Bay for the 21-year veteran. Perry enjoyed two years with the Lightning from 2021 to 2023, scoring 31 goals and 65 points in 163 games, averaging 12:33 of ice time in a bottom-six role. Since then, he has spent his time in the Western Conference with the Chicago Blackhawks, Edmonton Oilers, and Kings.
Although he’s far removed from being a constant threat for the Hart Trophy, Perry has remained a productive forward into his 40s. Since leaving the Lightning after the 2022-23 NHL season, Perry has registered 42 goals and 80 points in 185 games with a +5 rating.
Still, Perry’s recent runs in the Stanley Cup playoffs have become something of a running joke around the league. Since being bought out by the Anaheim Ducks after the 2018-19 campaign, Perry has reached five Stanley Cup Finals and lost each one of them.
Regardless, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t remained productive in the postseason. As he has done in the regular season, Perry has been a steady tertiary scorer in spring hockey. Since the 2019-20 postseason, Perry has scored 28 goals and 52 points in 119 playoff contests.
For Tampa Bay, the team didn’t need to add much on deadline day. The Lightning are already one of the best teams in the NHL, but it never hurts to insert additional goal-scoring, especially at the bottom of a lineup. To boot, Perry is a familiar face and will give the Bolts an extra veteran presence to lean on come playoff time.
From the Kings’ perspective, even if Perry had the desire to remain in Los Angeles for another season or two, it didn’t make much sense from an organizational perspective. Yes, Perry is productive, but he’s into his age-40 season, and the team has a decent crop of young talent that could theoretically fill the void on the bottom-six moving forward.
Still, the team is attempting to add significant draft capital. If the second-round selection is within the next two years, the Kings will have seven picks in the first two rounds of the next two drafts, exiting the Anze Kopitar era.
Photo courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.
Stars Acquire Michael Bunting
5:05 p.m.: Both teams have announced the trade as reported.
4:23 p.m.: The Dallas Stars are bringing in a formidable middle-six forward for their playoff run. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Stars have acquired Michael Bunting from the Nashville Predators. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported that the Predators will receive the Seattle Kraken’s 2026 third-round pick from Dallas. Beat writer Robert Tiffin reported that Dallas has reassigned forward Arttu Hyry in a corresponding move.
Moving to Dallas, Bunting will suit up for his fifth team in the last four seasons. Bunting was acquired by the Predators at last year’s deadline (along with a fourth-round pick) from the Pittsburgh Penguins for Thomas Novak and Luke Schenn.
Bunting, 30, was having a strong year in Nashville, headed into his third trip through free agency. Before the trade, Bunting had scored 13 goals and 31 points in 61 games, averaging 14:48 of ice time per game. If that scoring trend continues with the Stars, Bunting will finish a 41-point campaign.
He’s not the most physical winger in the league, but he brings a strong possession game to Dallas for a team that needed reinforcements. Tyler Seguin has already been ruled out for the remainder of the 2025-26 season, including the playoffs, while Roope Hintz and Mikko Rantanen have each been dealing with injuries of late.
Given the injuries to Dallas’ top-six, it’s likely that’s where Bunting will begin his tenure with the Stars. Assuming everyone except for Seguin returns for the playoffs, Bunting can provide additional scoring punch to the team’s third line.
Despite being an expiring asset, a third-round pick as a return must feel underwhelming for the Predators. Only a few days ago, Nashville sent fourth-liner Michael McCarron to the Minnesota Wild for a second-round pick. Yes, McCarron is making $3.6MM less than Bunting, and is a center, but Bunting is outscoring him by more than double.
Regardless, it’s clear that general manager Barry Trotz is intent on accumulating draft capital for the next regime. Assuming the third-round selection is within the next three years, the Predators will have 16 picks in the first three rounds of the next three drafts. This will provide the next GM with significant control over team building.
Image courtesy of Tim Fuller-Imagn Images.
Blue Jackets, Wild Interested In Nick Foligno
Emily Kaplan of ESPN reports that the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild have contacted the Chicago Blackhawks about forward Nick Foligno. Chicago’s captain has connections to both organizations.
Columbus is where Foligno had the most successful period of his career. Ahead of the 2012-13 season, the Blue Jackets acquired Foligno from the Ottawa Senators for defenseman Marc Methot. The 38-year-old winger spent four years with the Blue Jackets before being named the team’s captain for the 2015-16 season.
Throughout his nine-year tenure in Columbus, Foligno scored 142 goals and 334 points in 599 games, averaging 17:47 of ice time. Aside from notching a pair of 20-goal campaigns (one of which was a 30-goal performance), Foligno displayed immense physicality, averaging 2.5 hits per game, and a respectable 91.5% on-ice SV% at even strength.
Pulling back into the playoff conversation of late, Foligno is exactly the type of player the Blue Jackets were expected to add. Yes, the club has a trio of pending unrestricted free-agent forwards it could dangle, but it’s clear the team is looking to reward its group with some low-cost additions. Columbus wouldn’t need Chicago to retain any of Foligno’s $4.5MM cap hit either, which would inevitably lower the Blackhawks’ asking price.
Meanwhile, despite never having played for the Wild, Nick’s brother, Marcus Foligno, has been in Minnesota for the last nine seasons. The two play a very similar style of hockey, and they could slot in on the same line if Minnesota ultimately acquires Nick.
Still, Minnesota is known to be looking for a top-six center, and acquiring Foligno, even at 50% retained, would cut into their financial assets. If the Wild cannot acquire a higher-end center, they could focus their remaining cap space on acquiring veteran depth pieces, such as Foligno. Regardless, if the Wild acquired Nick, it would be the first time the pair has played together, even since their high school days.
Wild Notes: Trocheck, O’Reilly, Coyle
General Manager Bill Guerin is no stranger to bold moves, and that has continued into deadline season. Throughout the past few weeks, the Minnesota Wild have been heavily linked to New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck, but that interest appears to be waning.
A few days ago, Trocheck himself shared that he would prefer to stay in the Eastern Conference, but there was no indication on whether he would block a trade to Minnesota. It turns out, the Wild are pulling away from Trocheck for different reasons entirely. According to Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic, Minnesota simply isn’t comfortable meeting the Rangers’ asking price.
There isn’t much detailed information available about what exactly the Rangers are requesting. Still, after effectively trading four first-round picks for Quinn Hughes earlier this year, the Wild may not have the assets to acquire another top player.
Additional Wild notes:
- Regardless of evaporating interest in Trocheck, the team is still trying to acquire a top-six center. In the same report, Russo and Smith suggested that the Wild could target veteran center Ryan O’Reilly from the Nashville Predators. The two teams recently got together on a trade that sent Michael McCarron to Minnesota, so there wouldn’t be any anti-divisional bias from either side. Unfortunately, despite not having any trade protection, the Predators have a handshake agreement with O’Reilly to only send him to a location where he would be willing to play.
- Furthermore, the pair of reporters brought up the fact that the Wild have been interested in Charlie Coyle of the Columbus Blue Jackets for much of the season. Still, things look a lot different in Columbus recently, and the team has openly suggested they’d rather extend Coyle than trade him for future assets at the deadline. At any rate, if the Wild are intent on adding a top-six middleman, the pool of talent is quickly shrinking.
Blackhawks Reassign Kevin Korchinski
The Chicago Blackhawks are again giving one of their better defensive prospects more time to develop in the AHL. The team announced that they’ve reassigned Kevin Korchinski to the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs.
Unlike some of the other moves today, this doesn’t pertain to Korchinski’s eligibility for the Calder Cup playoffs. Since he’s exempt from waivers, the Blackhawks could have theoretically waited to reassign Korchinski tomorrow morning. Instead, they’ve opted for today, meaning Korchinski is bound for another extended stay in Rockford.
That’s how Chicago has handled him for the past two years. Two years after being selected with the seventh overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft, Korchinski spent the entire 2023-24 season with the Blackhawks. He finished the campaign with five goals and 15 points in 76 games with a -39 rating, and he proved he wasn’t quite ready for NHL minutes.
Since then, he’s primarily played for the IceHogs. He has been a solid puck mover in the AHL, registering 45 assists in 101 games. Still, his -39 rating over that stretch is concerning, especially considering that Rockford has made the postseason in both years.
This season has been his most limited in the AHL. At the time of writing, Korchinski has appeared in only four games for Chicago, tallying one assist while averaging 11:42 of ice time. This isn’t to say that Korchinski should no longer be considered one of Chicago’s top prospects, but he may take a bit longer to develop than expected.
Minnesota Wild Acquire Jeff Petry
The Minnesota Wild are adding a veteran presence to their backend ahead of the playoffs. According to a team announcement, the Wild have acquired Jeff Petry from the Florida Panthers for a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick.
Included in Minnesota’s announcement were the conditions on the draft pick. If the Wild make it to the Western Conference Final, and Petry plays in 50% or more of the Wild’s playoff games heading into the Western Conference Final, the pick will upgrade to Minnesota’s fifth-round pick this season.
At this stage of his career, Petry, 38, is only fit for a depth role. This season, his first with the Panthers, he was relegated to a bottom-pairing role. Throughout the year, he has tallied eight assists in 58 games with a -10 rating, averaging 14:51 of ice time.
That’s largely what he turned into during his time with the Detroit Red Wings. Before moving to Sunrise, Petry spent two years in HockeyTown, scoring four goals and 32 points in 117 games. Unlike his time with the Panthers, Petry was typically in Detroit’s top-two defensive pairings.
Given his play with the Red Wings, it was no question why Petry had to settle for a one-year, league minimum contract last summer. Playing next to Ben Chiarot for much of last season, the pair finished with the lowest xGoals% in the league (for pairings that had played 400 or more minutes together) with a 41.3% output.
That trend has continued with Florida. According to Moneypuck, the combination of Uvis Balinskis and Petry has combined for a 46.6% xGoals% this season, ranking 65th out of 83 defensive pairings that have played 300 or more minutes together.
That makes the move more peculiar on Minnesota’s end. The team already had seven defensemen on the active roster before the trade and had multiple defensive assets in the AHL that have already played this season. At any rate, instead of spending potentially his last season in the NHL with a team outside of a playoff spot, Petry will have the opportunity to compete for the first Stanley Cup of his career.